


No Mercy

by alynnamador



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Headcanon, not really relevant anymore, past relationship, relationship implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alynnamador/pseuds/alynnamador
Summary: Headcanon- Noella Cousland opts against hanging Nathaniel Howe. There are fates much worse than death.





	No Mercy

It hadn’t been more than a few hours since she arrived in Amaranthine. 

And being here made her skin crawl.

 

The plan was to arrive, set up a Grey Warden outpost and then recruit people to the Wardens. Noella didn’t have much experience as a Grey Warden, much less how to be a Grey Warden Commander. But apparently if you single handedly defeat an archdemon, Kingdom and Country are willing to slap on any and all titles they could find. 

-Hero of Fereldan

-Queen of Fereldan

-Warden Commander of Fereldan

-Arlessa of Amaranthine

-(Reinstated) Lady of Highever

How exhausting it was to fill all these roles.

“Commander!” A woman’s voice called to her before she even shut the doors to the Main Hall. The sound of that title was rapidly grating on her nerves. Did it never end? “Commander! I’ve got some news for you.”

“Speak then.” Noella responded a little bit colder than she intended.

“I’ve got some letters for you, and news from the Grey Wardens about a prisoner they’re keeping for your judgement.” The girl held a small stack of letters and offered them up. 

“I’ll deal with the letters later. Have them sent to my chambers. Tell me of this prisoner.” 

“Yes ser.” She pocketed the letters. “A while back, they caught a thief in the Vigil. Took four wardens to capture him, it did. Gave one of the wardens a black eye! Half joking they said he might make a good recruit.” 

“Where is this prisoner now?” Noella asked. He was no mere thief, whoever he was, if it took four wardens to capture him. 

“He’s in the dungeon, ser.” 

“Take me to him, then.” 

The girl nodded and led Noella to a door on the south side of the castle. It was a large metal door requiring a rather large brass key to open it. “I’ll give this key to you, ser. The Captain was the one down keeping an eye on him, but I believe he just traded posts with another prison guard.” 

“Thank you, soldier. Deliver those letters to my desk, and then return to your post.” 

“Yes ser!” the girl saluted awkwardly and hurried away.

Noella shut the door behind her, which made the already dimly lit corridor even darker. She walked steadily down the corridor, and saw the prison guard scribbling away furiously at the desk in front of the cell. When he heard the sound of her footsteps, he looked up and stood. 

“Ah Commander! Good thing you’re here.” He led her to the prison cell, where the man behind the bars turned her blood cold. “This one’s been locked up for three days now. Good men died while he was protected in his cell. He won’t give his name. All I know-”

Noella held up a fist to stop him from talking.

“I know who this is.” She looked coldly at the man, who stared coldy back at her. “Leave me to speak with him.” 

The prison guard stumbled over the words he didn’t get to finish saying. “Yes, Commander. I’ll go and speak with the Seneshal. He’ll want to know what you decide to do with him.” 

The prison guard walked away, and Noella stared coldly at the prisoner until the footsteps had faded, and the sound of the giant heavy door slammed shut again. She stepped closer to the iron bars. 

“Nathaniel Howe.” she growled more than said his name.

“Well, Well… if it isn’t the great hero, conqueror of the Blight and vanquisher of all evil.” He sneered sarcastically and feigned a bow. “My  _ intended _ .” 

“Do not mock me, Howe.” she seethed. 

“My family owned these lands until you showed up!”

“Your father MURDERED my family in cold blood. Yet you break into my Arling and Estate, attack my men, mock me, and then have the audacity to speak to me as if I am the accused.” 

“My father fought with Teyrn Loghain against the Orlesians and now we have  _ nothing.” _

“I ought to have you hanged for simply carrying the Howe name.”

“It was to be your name, too,  _ Commander.”  _ He sneered bitterly.

They stood in a dead silence, Noella could hear and feel her heart pounding in her head before she took a step back and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“I am no longer your intended.” She said with exasperation and exhaustion. “Howe, what in the name of Andraste are you doing here?” She felt years older than she was, and was unsure if the Taint made her feel that way, or if it was her growing exhaustion. When was the last time she slept?

Nathaniel was silent for another several beats before he spoke again. “I came here…. I thought I was going to try to kill you. Lay a trap for you… But I couldn’t bring myself to follow through with it. My father’s murderer or no, you were still my betrothed once. I couldn’t do it.   
“I thought, then, maybe I could reclaim some of my family’s things. It’s all I’ve got left.”

Noella became cold and hard again. Her eyes narrowed but he cut her off before she could speak. “Look, what happened to the Couslands sounds like it was horrible. The entire war was. Whatever my father did, however, shouldn’t harm my whole family! The Howes are pariahs now. What’s left of us. And that’s all thanks to you. And now you get to decide my fate. How ironic.” 

Noella took a step closer grabbed Nathaniel’s shirt through the bars and yanked him closer. “Your father murdered my family in cold blood, aided in the massacre of the Grey Wardens in all of Fereldan, openly spoke against the Crown, and he paid for it.” She lowered her voice to just above a whisper. But it was a harsh and angry sound. “The name Howe will never own these lands again. And you? I’ve decided what I’m going to do with you.” She threw him back as best she could through the prison bars and walked with a straightened and rigid back to find Seneshal Varel to officially administer Nathaniel Howe’s sentence.

 

* * *

 

When she reached the heavy door, she opened it with all her might and then slammed it shut and called for someone to bring her Seneshal Varel. She was still hot with anger, and more than ready to pass her judgement on her once betrothed. 

“I see you’ve spoken to our guest.” Seneshal Varel said as he followed her back down into the dungeons. “Quite the handful, isn’t he. Have you decided what you’re going to do with him?” 

She looked back at Nathaniel with cold eyes as he stood. “Do you know who this is, Seneshal?” She asked.

“He would not tell us his name, no.” 

“This man is my once betrothed, Nathaniel Howe.” 

“A Howe? It figures they’d turn up again. The Howes are implacable enemies, Commander.” 

“I know who they are, Seneshal.” She snapped. “And I wish to invoke the Right of Conscription.” 

“You WHAT?” Noella ignored Nathaniel’s protest  
“I’m sorry, Commander… The Right of Conscription? On the prisoner?”

“No. Absolutely not. Hang me first.” Nathaniel protested.

“You!” She rounded on him. “You don’t get a say in the matter.” 

“You truly want me, a Howe, to join the Grey Wardens? I don’t understand. Why choose to spare my life?”

Noella stared coldly as she could, icy and angry at this presumptuous man, through the prison bars, “Make no mistake, a sentence to the Wardens is no mercy.”

**Author's Note:**

> I made a text post on tumblr a couple weeks ago about a Cousland deciding to conscript Nathaniel. you can see it here.  
> \----> https://commanderofthegrey.tumblr.com/post/175912684624/nathaniel-howe-why-choose-to-spare-my
> 
> This work is part my personal headcanon that a Female Cousland and Nathaniel Howe were betrothed/intended.  
> Anyway, have fun exploring my little headcanon here. Feel free to hang out with me on Tumblr if you're interested in asking me to write a little one shot or anything.


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